ODU dominates Albany 66-10

NORFOLK — After getting bounced around for much of the season, Old Dominion's defense needed a boost, regardless of the opponent. Consider the defense boosted.

Rotating a slew of players, the Monarchs kept Albany's offense in front of them most of the game and dominated the outmanned Great Danes 66-10 Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium in the annual Oyster Bowl.

“They had a lot of criticism going into the game,” ODU quarterback Taylor Heinicke said. “I knew they were working hard. They've been working hard all year. It was just a matter of them all putting it together for a whole game. They did really well today. … I felt like today was the first time we all came together and played really well as a team.”

Heinicke and the Monarchs' go-go offense provided plenty of cushion, scoring touchdowns on their first seven possessions to take a 49-7 lead midway through the third quarter.

Heinicke eclipsed the 9,000-yard mark for his career. He completed 28 of 33 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns, with a couple of obvious drops. He now has 9,099 yards in his career. Coach Bobby Wilder pulled him after three quarters.

But ODU's defense exhibited energy and made plays. One week earlier, The Citadel rushed for 453 yards and totaled 566 yards in the Monarchs' 59-58 win – the latest in a string of disappointing performances.

But Saturday, Albany ventured into ODU territory on its first seven possessions and managed just a touchdown and a field goal. The Monarchs blocked a field goal, intercepted two passes and stopped the Great Danes on downs two other times. Albany managed just 325 yards, 200 fewer than ODU's defense permitted in the first four games.

“I think everybody was on their assignments,” linebacker John Darr said. “I think the biggest thing was everybody getting off third down and making plays on third down. That's what we had to do all year, that's one thing that we struggled with. That's one thing we did really well today.”

The Monarchs allowed 7 of 15 conversions on third down, which isn't stellar, but it's an improvement from the 64-percent conversion rate opposing offenses logged in the first four games.

“I'm really excited about this victory,” Wilder said, “but what I'm most excited about is the performance of our defense tonight. Coming off last week, where the kids didn't have a lot to feel good about themselves, this performance tonight made for a very happy locker room, post-game.”

ODU rotated 30 players on defense versus Albany, including three true freshmen who had not played before Saturday. One was Daquin Moore, a safety from Hampton High.

The Monarchs' beleaguered defense was even thinner Saturday, with indefinite suspensions to linebackers Caleb Taylor and Larry Alston announced prior to the game.

Taylor, a Phoebus High product, was ODU's No. 2 tackler last season. Alston, a redshirt freshman from Aberdeen, N.J., played the first four games at rover and started the past two.

Even without Taylor and Alston, ODU had too much depth and athletic ability for Albany (1-4). The Great Danes are in their first year of Colonial Athletic Association football. As members of the Northeast Conference, they had the league maximum of 35 scholarship players (the FCS maximum is 63).

Albany is now up to 54 scholarship players, but the staff committed to redshirting nearly all of its freshman class as it transitions to the CAA. Only two true freshmen played in the offensive and defensive rotation.

“The defense has really been challenged, with the schedule and the types of offenses we've played, to find a measure of success,” Wilder said. “This certainly goes a long way in what we've been trying to tell them — just stick to the plan, it's going to work.

“We're trying to develop depth and confidence right now, not only to win now, but to be able to win next year when we go into Conference USA, and that's challenging. It's leaving some mixed results right now.”